1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, and particularly, to a cooling unit for the air conditioning apparatus, which is disposed at a lower side of an instrument panel in a passenger compartment and which can be rotated toward a vehicle front side when a vehicle collides to protect a passenger in the passenger compartment.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 5, a cooling unit for an air conditioning apparatus includes resinous cases 1 and 2 divided into upper and lower two parts, and an evaporator 3 contained therein. The cases 1 and 2 are formed in a shape along an outer shape of the evaporator 3 to hold and fix the evaporator 3 therein. The cooling unit is disposed at a passenger's seat side next to a driver's seat under an instrument panel in a passenger compartment.
Further, in another type conventional cooling unit shown in FIG. 6, a sponge-like elastic member 4 is provided between an evaporator 3 and inner surfaces of resinous cases 1 and 2, and the evaporator 3 is held in the cases 1 and 2 while elastically compressing the elastic member 4 so that the evaporator is fixed within the cases 1 and 2 by an elastic force of the elastic member 4. Generally, a thickness of the elastic member 4 is approximately several millimeters.
In each of the conventional cooling units shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a longitudinal direction of the evaporator 3 is in the vehicle front-rear direction to effectively use a space at a lower side of the instrument panel in the passenger compartment.
However, in the cooling unit shown in FIG. 5, because the outer peripheral portion of the evaporator 3 is entirely held and fixed by the cases 1 and 2, the cooling unit is a complete rigid body. As a result, when a vehicle collides, a passenger seated on the passenger's seat next to the driver's seat is moved toward a vehicle front side, and the passenger's body such as the knee may collide with the cooling unit so that a large shock may be given to the passenger's body. At this time, since the longitudinal direction of the evaporator 3 is in the vehicle front-rear direction, the above-described problem may be further facilitated.
Because a space for rotating the evaporator 3 within the cases 1 and 2 is extremely small, the evaporator 3 does not rotate within the cases 1 and 2 even if a passenger collides with the cooling unit obliquely relative to the evaporator 3. As a result, a large shock may be given to the passenger's body at a time of a vehicle collision.
In the cooling unit shown in FIG. 6, since the thickness of the elastic member 4 is extremely small to be several millimeters, the cooling unit becomes in a state similar to a rigid body when a passenger collides with the cooling unit at a time of a vehicle collision. Thus, when the vehicle collides, a large shock may be also given to the passenger's body. Further, because the evaporator 3 is fixed in the cases 1 and 2 by the elastic force of the elastic member 4, the evaporator 3 can be moved slightly in the cases 1 and 2. As a result, a position of a refrigerant pipe of the evaporator 3 is shifted, and the assembling performance of the cooling unit is deteriorated when being installed in a vehicle.